Every summer, audiences across the globe are treated to the ultimate beach body motivator:
American Ninja Warrior, the obstacle course competition that's taken the world by storm.
The show has a long and storied history, and even super-fans might not realize just how
far the show has come since it first aired — and just how much goes into making it
the epic production it is today.
Humble beginnings
Early seasons of American Ninja Warrior were very, very different.
It was initially known as American Ninja Challenge, a video submission series in which contestants
submitted videos of themselves on obstacle courses, with the ultimate goal of being sent
to compete on a Japanese game show known as "Ninja Warrior" in the States.
(hype Japanese commentary)
In those early seasons, contestants competed on a qualifying course in Venice Beach, then
the top 30 moved onto the finals, where they entered a "boot camp" that whittled them down
to just ten ninja finalists, who traveled to Japan to compete.
Primetime journey
American Ninja Warrior didn't debut with a plum primetime spot on NBC.
The show actually started out on G4, a network within the company's cable group.
That channel doesn't exist anymore, but it provided a home for American Ninja Warrior
for its first three increasingly popular seasons.
According to host Matt Iseman, G4 went to NBC during the third season and offered them
the finale for free, saying: "'Just air it on NBC to tell people G4 exists."
With little to no promotion, the obscure cable show ended up winning the ratings for the
night, leading to Ninja's permanent network relocation in its fourth season.
Take a shot
Have you ever wanted to run the American Ninja Warrior course, but don't think you're ready
to apply?
You're in luck.
The night before each city's run, a group of volunteers is chosen for the chance to
let producers know if they need to make any last-minute adjustments to the course.
There's no money involved, but they get the chance to run the course and test their ninja
skills without all the pressure.
Volunteers come from different walks of life, including prospective contestants who sent
in a tape but didn't make the cut, professional stuntmen, and just regular folks.
As a cool bonus, if you test out the course, they let you stay and watch the taping.
Hidden challenge
Up until season five, American Ninja Warrior contestants competed during the day, but since
then, filming has taken place at night.
Tapings in each city begin around 8 pm and go into the wee hours of the morning, with
some contestants doing their runs around 3 or 4 am.
Even contestants who run earlier in the night have to stick around that late if they want
to find out if they made it into the finals.
This is obviously pretty taxing on contestants, adding a whole new layer of difficulty to
an already grueling show…
"Look at those forearms, Akbar."
"I wish I had forearms like that."
"It looks like he's smuggling cantaloupes in there!"
Beyond the course
Being a great athlete doesn't guarantee you a spot on American Ninja Warrior.
While the show obviously puts quite a lot of effort into finding contestants who are
able to compete, there are a lot of other factors that go into casting.
To apply, contestants have to submit a long online questionnaire, as well as a video of
themselves.
The video is where contestants have to really let their personalities shine.
That's when they try to convince the casting directors that they won't just be able to
complete the course, but that they'll also be fun to watch while they do it.
"And this crowd is losing their minds!
And now she'll take on the even tougher back half of the course!"
As with most reality shows, Ninja's casting directors are looking for contestants with
interesting stories who will inspire viewers both on and off the course.
Full-time job
Many ninjas have to quit their jobs if they want to get serious about competing on the
show, especially as the obstacles get more difficult.
Because being an elite-level ninja is basically like being a pro athlete, contestants are
constantly finding new ways to make a living based on their athleticism, rather than through
traditional jobs.
This includes doing commercials and making appearances at gyms and other events.
However, some ninjas are still pushing for more, with many believing that the future
of the sport will come in compensation for the athletes who appear on the show.
The show has a $1 million prize — which only one person has won as of the making of
this video — along with smaller cash prizes for first, second, and third place in city
finals courses.
But there isn't compensation for all of the athletes.
"No one has reached this point until now!
Isaac Caldiero will climb for a million dollars!"
Some ninjas want the show to provide a base compensation or for them to roll back their
strict rules on athletes wearing sponsored clothing on the course.
As the show continues to grow, and its competitors get more famous, there will likely have to
be some changes to keep the athletes coming back.
Otherwise, the show's pool of potential contestants could go extinct…
"Down goes the T-Rex!"
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